Final Fantasy Challenge: Final Fantasy VI Part 2. “Right. First things first. For once I feel hopeful!”

It’s amazing how the best Final Fantasy games can pull hope from the darkest of places. As I near the end of this, having now reached all of the games I’ve played before (not counting XII and I), a pattern I’ve noticed is that my favorite games in the series are dark, but not bereft of hope. In fact, it is hope that drives them onward, despite the darkness, to build a better world. Whether it’s Clive going to face Ultima, Basch not losing his honor despite constantly losing in his wars against the Archadean Empire, the Scions against the Endsinger or Celes staring out across the wasteland of the World of Ruin, all of these stories are about the Warriors of Light overcoming the darkness by bringing hope back to the world. It’s like the Scions said, “We will stand against fate, no matter the cost. We’ve been here before, many a time, thus do we know to never give up, for hope will shine again.”

There is no point in any Final Fantasy quite as bleak as the World of Ruin. The Starscourge-laden land in XV definitely tried, they even called the chapter “World of Ruin,” but Eos is still rather whole, it’s just a land of eternal night with tons of monsters everywhere. It already had a bunch of monsters to begin with, now it’s just dark. I guess the monsters are worse, but same with the World of Ruin. The World of Ruin had continents ripped apart, lands torn asunder and towns completely wiped out. Legendary monsters sealed during the previous calamity rise up from the very earth itself to run amok and horrible beasts, stronger than anything before, roam the land. Crops don’t grow properly, the sea is purple and the sun hides in an orange sky just above a sick horizon. Also, Kefka blasts people with his Light of Judgment whenever they make him angry, or speak blasphemy against him or when he’s just bored. And he is bored a lot. The overworld theme, Terra’s Theme, is already a somber melody reflecting the heroine’s angst and uncertainty with life, but the overworld theme when you first begin to cross the World of Ruin, Dark World, is bleak and hopeless. Just like the broken landscape and twisted continents it reflects, Dark World is the most hopeless of overworld music in the series.

And yet! When Celes arrives, she rescues a boy from a burning building. She finds Sabin and helps Edgar save his people. They find Setzer, drunk in a bar, and convince him to not just get over the loss of the Blackjack, but to remember the spirit of his love Darril and live the life she wanted him to life. When you find the Falcon in the depth of Darril’s Tomb and it rises up from the ocean, the song changes from Dark World permanently to Searching for Friends, one of the most beautiful overworld themes in the series. All four of the characters you have thought they couldn’t find any hope in this world that Kefka has destroyed, but now together again after a year, they search the world for their friends because they know they can end Kefka, and the War of the Magi, forever.

It does take a bit of the edge off that I saved Cid this time. The first time I played the game, years and years ago, I didn’t even know you could, but this time I made sure to do it. It was kind of irritating. I must have fed that old man thirty fast fish or something (probably just like 10) before he was like “oh, yeah, I made a raft, go find your friends.” Dude doesn’t even have lines for you if you talk to him again. However, I think it’s important that I saved him this time because so much of the World of Ruin is overcoming that ruin. Every character you recruit has a story, some a little bit more complex than others. Cyan kind of trying to ease his grief for his wife by pretending to be that woman’s boyfriend and realizing what a mistake he’s made. There is Terra coming to realize that the orphans who she’d taken care of taught her about love, the thing she wanted the most. We have Gau learning his father is alive. Fucking crazy, sure, but alive and that made Gau happy. Even Rachel coming back for a moment to tell Locke to move on, bittersweet though it is, is about overcoming that darkness of the world. Hell, Locke lived in longer than anyone except Terra.

Final Fantasy VI is powerful, and it’s amazing how well it holds up. It is a little easy, though. I’ve gotten all of the party members back and I’m already blowing through the dragons. I have the Ragnarok sword and the Cursed Shield, so I’ll need to find a podcast or something to do while I walk around and try to get the curse lifted. 256 battles is a lot. I did it once, but I was 18 and in high school. Maybe 17. I can do it again, though, and then get everyone Ultima by killing Cactuars in the desert while I have Game Grumps on or something. This is a game where I want to do everything (except get the Blue Magic), although it’s not like I’ve skimped on the side quests in the Pixel Remaster games. I know I didn’t do them in IX or X (or XII, although I do plan on doing them now that I have my copy back), but mostly because it’s a lot easier to do them in this game. Same in VII, although I probably won’t be killing Emerald Weapon or anything. I don’t know if I’ll even get Knights of the Round, although that’s mostly because I don’t like Chocobo Racing.

Anyway though, VI has a lot of good side quests, and most of them are packed with character moments or are just very cool about the world. Cultists’ Tower (or considering I’m an old, I remember it as Fanatics’ Tower) is one of those dungeons that doesn’t really tie in with any character, but makes so much sense with the world. Some people have given up all of their hope they now worship Kefka, and they’ve all become powerful mages. It’s an entirely magical tower. It’s very cool. However, most of them are character side quests, and that rules. Defeating Wrexsoul to help put the people of Doma at ease is great. Slaying the dragons, sealed by the world before, is another cool one. Plus the Ancient Castle giving us some insight on the world during the War of the Magi, and a bit on the Figaro brothers is something I’m definitely hyped for. This is a wonderful game. I’m glad I’m playing it again.